Blackmail and Resulting Events
by The Path of Supreme Conquest
Summary: Expectations exist to be failed or surpassed - perhaps both. In which Chitanda discovers something she never thought she would, and everyone deals with it in their own way.
1. In Which Chitanda Discovers Oreki

**Because Blackmail!Oreki is my favorite Oreki.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

If anyone asked Eru why she stopped to listen, she wouldn't have known what to say. Except, perhaps… curiosity. But stop to listen she did. Well… stop to listen and peek around the wall to watch.

It was Oreki-san, as she had thought. And the person across from him was mildly familiar.

"Is that… Fujikawa-senpai?" she muttered to herself already knowing that it was. No one else in school was that tall. "What is he doing with Oreki-san?"

Maybe Fujikawa-senpai had agreed to lend them the manuscript after all. Wouldn't that be nice! She was confused though, considering the older student had been adamant about keeping the manuscript for himself.

She cocked her head in concentration as she focused on what they were saying.

…

"Listen… I'm not sure why you called me out here, but can we just get this over with?" Fujikawa grumbled crossing his arms in a way he hoped was intimidating. The first year remained unfazed, much to Fujikawa's chagrin.

"The book. I want it."

Fujikawa's brow furrowed. "Book?"

"Manuscript."

A scowl bloomed on Fujikawa's face. "Oh. I wondered why you looked so familiar. You're with that group who asked about it last week. Oreki, isn't it?"

He was rewarded with a short nod.

"Well, I told you then that I wouldn't give it to you, and the answer's the same now. Just let it go already."

Oreki heaved a put upon sigh and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His shoulders were hunched and his posture slouched, as if he had no energy for what he was about to do, but was resigned to doing it anyway.

"You want it for Kusanagi-senpai, right?"

Fujikawa froze. How did he know that? And where exactly was he planning to go with this line of questioning?

"That's none of your business!"

"No," Oreki conceded. "Neither are your test scores."

Fujikawa's took a step back reflexively. "What-"

"Or how you got them, really. But it's pretty strange how all of a sudden you're in the top 15 when your grades have been below average at best."

The implication was obvious, the threat less so. Or maybe it was Fujikawa's below average intelligence that was preventing him from understanding what Oreki was getting at.

"I don't know what you're trying to say but just leave me alone, all right?"

Another put upon sigh. "Your voice was too high."

"What?"  
Oreki shook his head. "I've already spent too much energy on this. Just let me have the manuscript and I'll leave it alone."

Fujikawa gaped as everything clicked into place. "Wait! You're blackmailing me? You can't do that! You don't even have proof! You can't go to anyone with this! I don't-"

Oreki's expression was only slightly more irritated than indifferent, but it was enough to make Fujikawa shut up. And take another step back.

"I don't have proof. But I wouldn't need it to go to Kusanagi-senpai. She's smart, and she only dates guys with high grades, right?"

"Wait a minute! You can't- I haven't-"

"Just give me the manuscript. It's not like she even knows about it."

Fujikawa stared for a moment, looking for all the world like he wanted to say something else, perhaps to rail against the illegality of it all. He stopped himself.

"I don't have it with me."

"We can go get it now. I have to hurry and get to the clubroom anyway; yours is on the way."

"I… Fine. Let's go."

Oreki's shoulders slumped marginally, and the invisible tension he'd been carrying fell away. Or more likely drained- nothing so abrupt as a fall.

"Okay."

"And you won't mention this again?"

"No."

"Fine."

…

Chitanda's expression was curiously blank when Oreki presented the manuscript to her in the clubroom. He resisted the urge to shift in his seat when all she did was stare at it. He didn't know what to say, but he wasn't comfortable with the silence, which made him cringe. She was doing strange things to him again, but wasn't she always?

"I got it from Fujikawa-senpai today," he offered.

She looked at him – finally – though he wasn't sure if he were relieved or not. There was something odd in her gaze, like she was trying to dissect him. Why was she looking at him like that? She should be gushing over the manuscript instead of staring silently at him. He wondered if she were coming down with something.

"Oreki-san…"

That didn't sound like the start of an "I'm curious". And while he didn't want to be entrapped in her ridiculously focused gaze, a shred of normalcy would be appreciated. When had that become normal anyway? He missed when his life had been completely grey. Probably.

"What?"

She was hesitating, which was strange. Because it wasn't her usual hesitation, all thoughtfulness and deliberation. This hesitation was tinged with uncertainty and just a bit of foreboding. His sense of self-preservation was telling him to find a way to end this conversation before it began, to make an excuse to leave the room. But he couldn't. Because she was looking at him with that paralyzing gaze of hers and he was trapped in his seat as surely as if he were chained.

"Oreki-san," she began again. "What did Oreki-san have to do to get this?"

 _Why are you asking when you already know?_

The thought was sudden, but it struck him as forcefully as any conclusion he had come to through deduction. Because he could tell instinctively that she knew, and everything he was forcing himself to observe and think through simply supported that conclusion. He took a moment to be surprised at himself – at how quickly his brain had processed everything he had been taking in subconsciously. Then the shock faded, overpowered by a mixture of dread and apprehension.

 _She knew._

He was glad that Ibara and Satoshi weren't in the room, though maybe Satoshi would have been useful, since he'd told him what he'd been planning to do. "Adult stuff", Satoshi had reminded him jokingly. Satoshi was good at joking away serious things; it would have been helpful here.

 _She knew._

How? It didn't matter – not really. The most logical conclusion was that she had seen what had transpired between himself and Fujikawa-senpai. But that was so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. She had watched him; that didn't matter. What mattered was that she had seen- had seen him.

 _She knew._

And why did that matter? Why did it matter that she'd seen him blackmail Fujikawa-senpai? Why was that so important? He knew the answer to that, as much as he wished he didn't. It mattered because he hadn't wanted her to know, had never wanted her to know. He'd been careful to make sure that she hadn't found out when he'd done it before - only twice before. Wasn't three supposed to be a lucky number? Was this lucky?

 _She knew._

And he didn't want her to know because he'd been afraid of this. Afraid of her reaction. Afraid that knowing this part of him would change how she looked at him. Because to him, it wasn't all that bad. Just putting people on the position to give him what he wanted. Not even what he wanted because he'd done it for her. So it wasn't a big deal to him, except in terms of how much energy he had to expend to get it done. But he'd known it'd be a big deal to her. And he hadn't wanted her to look at him and see someone she couldn't admire anymore. Someone she couldn't come to for help. Someone she couldn't innocently force all of her problems onto. Because he cared what she thought of him, and he didn't want her to see him as anything other than a good person, even when he knew he wasn't.

 _She knew._

"Oreki-san?"

Her voice was soft, not tentative, but not as forceful as usual. Not as comfortable. Guarded. Like she was talking to a stranger. Or maybe he was over-reacting.

"Does it matter?"

He knew it did.

She blinked obviously surprised by his response. He wondered what she'd been expecting. What she'd hoped for. Wondered if there were a different answer to each question.

"I… I think so."

Any energy reserves he'd had were long since emptied. He didn't have anything left for this conversation. And even if he did, would that change anything? The way she thought? What she was feeling right now?

"You already know the answer." He wasn't willing to draw this out.

Her shock was short lived. "Yes."

"What does that mean then?" _Where does that leave us?_ But he'd never say that out loud, not when he was so afraid of the answer.

"I don't know." _There can't really be an us anymore, can there?_

He obviously hadn't needed to ask the question out loud. Not when he was this good at reading between the lines.

But maybe this was a good thing. For her to find out about him. They had been tiptoeing around each other for too long already; this was a safe way to resolve things. Or maybe he was a coward. The answer didn't matter. Not really. Not now.

"I already did it, so you should keep the manuscript. He won't be expecting it back anyway."

She nodded shortly.

He nodded back.

And that was the end of it. All of it.

…

 **Never fear. It's not the end by far.**

 **Because blackmail brings people together. It's like cupid, only cooler.**

 **T.N.T!**


	2. In Which Ibara Intervenes (Via Fukube)

**This is the second part. It'll work out, don't worry.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

Mayaka frowned as she looked between Oreki and Chi-chan. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. She just didn't know what it was.

She honestly wouldn't be concerned over it, except Chi-chan… didn't look happy. It wasn't that she was unhappy. It was just… she wasn't as happy as she'd been before. And Mayaka knew for a fact that it was Oreki's fault because he tensed every time he and Chitanda spoke, which was rarely nowadays.

That in and of itself was a give away. Since the start of the club, Chi-chan had fixated on Oreki in all his laziness and brilliance (as reluctant as she was to admit it, that's what it was). And now… now she didn't talk to him unless she could help it, and only in her capacity as president of the club. Never just to talk or to muse or to share her opinion or ask his. Never to ask him to solve a problem for her, even when she had that look in her eye and that expression on her face that said she was so curious she could burst. Never.

And this had been going on for days. Since Fujikawa-senpai had decided to give them the manuscript.

Mayaka cleared her throat. "So, Chi-chan, don't you think it's strange that Fujikawa-senpai changed his mind and brought the manuscript in?"

Chi-chan stiffened. Oreki somehow managed to bury his face further into his book. Obviously the wrong thing to say, though she wasn't sure why.

"Er…"

She was at a lost. So she decided to make Fuku-chan fix it. Kicking him worked well in getting his attention. Jerking her head in Chi-chan and Oreki's directions helped him understand what she wanted. Her glare made it clear he needed to address it now.

They were getting so good at nonverbal communication – almost like they were a real couple.

"I sort of think he did it because-"

Fuku-chan jumped in his seat like he'd been kicked, only she hadn't done anything. He was pouting at Oreki; that answered that question.

The silence was uneasy. Chi-chan continued to study the manuscript, struggling to focus in spite of her interest. Oreki read his book like nothing was wrong, except for the way he twitched occasionally, and the fact that he hadn't turned the page in ten minutes. She and Fuku-chan were left to pretend they weren't uncomfortable.

She had never been so glad for the day to be over.

While Chi-chan rushed out of the room with a hasty good-bye (one for her and one for Fuku-chan – she didn't even look at Oreki), Mayaka grabbed Fuku-chan's arm under the table and squeezed. He winced, but got the message.

"Uh… I'll be along in a second, yeah?"

Oreki gave the two of them a look that would have been questioning on anyone else. As it were, he barely managed acknowledgement.

Fuku-chan gave a weak smile.

Oreki shrugged and stifled what might have been a snort. Mayaka glared at him as he walked out of the room, just in case.

"You could try to be a better actor, Fuku-chan."

"You're still squeezing my arm."

She let go with blush that was entirely anger and not at all embarrassment. Not at all.

Fuku-chan rubbed him arm and looked at her with a small grin. "What is it?"

"You need to find out what's wrong with Chi-chan and Oreki."

He winced. "I was afraid you'd say that. Can't you talk to-"

"No. I already asked her about it and she just made excuses, which isn't like Chi-chan at all. Something is seriously wrong."

"If it is, what makes you think he'll tell me?"

She rolled her eyes. "It'd be too much energy to bother lying."

His sigh was exaggerated but he sobered up quickly enough. "I'll talk to him. But…I might not be able to tell you when I find out."

Mayaka bit her lip, but nodded. "I just want them to fix whatever it is. It's not good – for either of them."

He grinned cheekily. "Does that mean I can tell him that you're worried about him?"

"Never."

He laughed. "Don't worry. You're secret's safe with me."

She scowled before her expression softened. "Fuku-chan…"

"I know. I'll take care of it."

…

"Do you remember when we were standing here, and you threatened to punch me?"

"It was just last month, of course I remember it."

"Ah. That was surprising actually. I still can't believe it."

Houtarou shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. Okay, time to get straight to the point then.

Satoshi sighed and leaned against the railing, facing the opposite direction of his friend. "I'd hoped with all the rose coloring you've been experiencing that you would just come and tell me, but I guess I'll have to ask you myself."

Houtarou scoffed, but didn't respond. He was obviously going to make Satoshi be direct.

"What happened between you two?"

There was a moment where Satoshi worried he wouldn't get an answer. Houtarou wouldn't lie, but it was very much within him to just keep it to himself; it would save even more energy. He hoped that wouldn't be the case; he didn't want to go back to Mayaka-chan empty handed. And, if he were being honest with himself (and he wasn't honest with himself often), he wanted to know too. Not just to have the information, but because this was his best friend, and even if he and Houtarou had one of the weirdest friendships he'd ever seen… Suffice to say he cared, even if he hadn't been willing to ask without the push from Mayaka-chan.

"Did Ibara tell you to ask?"

They both knew that wasn't the only reason Satoshi was here, doing this, asking this question, but it was safe for them, and if they had anything in common, it was being cowards.

"She insisted. Will you tell me?"

"She'll want to know."

"She already agreed not to ask if I said I couldn't tell her?"

The look Houtarou shot him was just short of piercing. "You made her promise that?"

"A database doesn't draw conclusions… but it's pretty obvious it has something to do with the manuscript. What happened?"

"Exactly what you're thinking."

He didn't need to say it.

"How?"

"Does it matter?"

Satoshi shrugged. "So she found out about your 'adult stuff' and then what?"

Houtarou shrugged. "There was a reason I didn't want her to know."

"You're not going to talk to her about it?"

"Would that change anything?"

"You could try to explain."

"There's nothing to explain. I could try to justify my actions, but if they need to be justified, doesn't that mean I did something wrong?"

Satoshi couldn't help his wry smirk. "Did you? Do something wrong?"

"To her."

"What about to you?"

"Wasting the energy."

Satoshi huffed. "Was it a waste though?"

Houtarou paused and looked up at the sky. He took his time in answering, and if there were anything Satoshi admired about Houtarou (and there were a few things), it was that he always had a reason for the things he did, and the things he thought, and the things he said – even if he didn't know that reason himself. (And if that happened, it was Satoshi's job to help him figure it out).

Satoshi wondered if Houtarou knew.

"Well?" he prompted, jostling his friend with his elbow.

"Not at the time."

He smiled. "You did it for her; nothing you ever did for her was a waste of time, even when it was."

The partly bored, partly exasperated look Houtarou gave him was too familiar to be anything other than amusing.

"Did you have a point when you started this conversation?"

"Not really. But I think I know what my point is now."

Houtarou wasn't going to ask – not this time. But that suited Satoshi just fine; he didn't feel like telling him anyway.

"Want to go to the arcade?"

The sigh Houtarou managed made it seem like he was being inconvenienced. Satoshi just grinned. It wasn't like Houtarou wouldn't follow him to the arcade regardless.

…

"Ah, Fukube-san? Was there something you needed?"

Eru shifted and cocked her head curiously at Fukube-san. He was grinning at her, but it wasn't his usual grin. She couldn't place what was wrong with it.

"Yeah. Could I talk to you before you head to the clubroom?"

She nodded, feeling strangely apprehensive. But then, she supposed it wasn't too strange a feeling. They didn't normally do things like this – talk outside of the clubroom, that is.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

She thought his smile might have been a little bitter, but his expression turned sheepish so quickly, she was sure she imagined it.

"I… ah, actually, I talked to Houtarou about things."

Things. Things. Oh. Things.

"Oh."

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I just… I think the two of you need to talk about this."

She looked away from him. "We already have."

"But you haven't. Not really."

And his voice was so oddly serious that she couldn't help looking at him to see if his expression matched. It did.

"What…"

"I just mean… that's not the end of it, is it? Because if it were, then the two of you wouldn't be acting like this. I don't know what the two of you said exactly, but I've got a feeling that neither of you explained anything."

"What's there to be explained?" and she genuinely wanted to know.

Fukube-san barked a laugh, short and harsh. "Everything. Why he did it, for one. And why you feel the way you do, for another."

"I feel this way because what he did was wrong."

"Maybe. That could be it. Or maybe you feel this way because you had expectations of him and he didn't fulfill them; he's not the person you thought he was. Maybe he's more. Or maybe he's less. But the fact is, you imagined him as something that he turned out not to be. And having that illusion shattered is worse than what he did. If what he did in and of itself even bothers you at all."

And Eru could only gape. Because he was right, and there was no getting around it. None at all. Especially because she'd known it the whole time. She wondered if she were that transparent. Wondered if Oreki-san saw through her as easily as Fukube-san seemed to. She wanted to laugh at herself because of course he did. He was Oreki-san.

"Fukube-san-"

"But I'm not a counselor or anything," and that grin was back on his face, like he hadn't just said something that she'd been trying her hardest not to think about. "Just talk to him."

And she nodded because there was really no other option, as much as she wanted to pretend otherwise.

…

 **And scene. I really do enjoy writing Satoshi's character…**

 **Not the end!**

 **T.N.T!**


	3. In Which a Resolution is Reached

**The final part. A resolution at last. Not the romantic, cupid-y resolution I wanted, but it fits the mood of the story perfectly.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

He knew Satoshi had talked to her the moment she sat down across from him. He wasn't sure whether to thank his best friend or curse him. He decided to do neither; it saved energy.

"Oreki-san."

"Chitanda."

She took a deep breath, and he braced himself. She had that look in her eyes and that expression on her face; he knew what was coming. A part of him couldn't help thinking of how bizarre this all was. The rest of him was too busy being frozen in place.

She leaned forward, not as close as usual, but close enough to put him even more on edge than he already was.

"I'm curious."

There it was. If there were ever a more pitiful way to defeat somebody, he looked forward to hearing about it because he felt entirely pathetic. And that was an annoyance in and of itself: having to muster up the energy to feel pathetic.

"Oreki-san-"

"About what?"

His capitulation was swift, and she was obviously thrown off balance by it. He waited for her to recover; it wasn't as though he could do much else. He threw a moderately mournful glance at the book resting on the table. He wondered if he would ever get around to finishing it; he doubted it.

"Ah, well… I want to know if you know why I was upset after finding out."

Wasn't that just like her though? To ask him if he knew why she felt the way she did, or thought the things she did, or acted the way she did. Like he was supposed to understand her better than she understood herself.

Like he was still someone she trusted to help her figure these things out.

"Why are you asking me?"

For some reason, she looked like she'd been expecting that answer, which was an unexpected reaction. He didn't have time to ponder it.

"I thought so. You know, don't you? It was because… you weren't who I was expecting. Or who I had imagined you to be. The way I always thought my uncle was a hero, only I had to face you every day after finding out you weren't."

He managed to hide the flinch, but only just. She had a surprising lack of tact, throwing around comparisons like that. Words like "hero".

"I know Satoshi talked to you. We don't have to-"

"But we do!"

And she sounded more enthusiastic and passionate than he had heard in days. So he shut up because he had missed that side of her, and he was willing to sit here and spend energy talking about this just to see her like that. Which was ridiculous, but probably what Satoshi had been counting on; sometimes - times like this - he was never surer of anything than the fact that Satoshi underestimated himself.

"Oreki-san, I'm sorry. First, I'm sorry for forcing an image on you, and looking at you as something you weren't, as though you weren't a real person. And I'm sorry for punishing you for it."

He thought punishing might have been a stretch, but he didn't say so.

"And I'm sorry for not asking why."

"Why what?"

"Why you did it."

He was a little bit mystified. Because he thought it was obvious. Why else would he have done it? Really. Because he couldn't think of a reason. And after all this time, he was surprised she hadn't noticed that she was the reason he did everything these days.

"Why did you do it?"

He was proud that he managed to keep the puzzlement out of his voice. "I did it because you wanted the manuscript."

She sat back in her chair, which was almost funny. He didn't think he'd even seen Chitanda as at a loss for words as she was now.

"Because I wanted it?"

He averted his eyes and hoped his face wasn't going red. "Ah. You're too troublesome and you kept pestering everyone about it anyway. It saved energy in the long run."

That wasn't the truth – at least, not all of it. But her face was a red as he imagined his must be, so he figured she had read between the lines. Which was awkward. Because that was as close to a confession as he had ever come and he really hadn't wanted to do it like that.

Oh goodness. How did he want to do it? Did he want to do it? What was wrong with him? Chitanda was driving him crazy.

In a bad way, of course.

"Oh."

Oh. Was that all she could say? He pondered that for a minute before deciding that he was really rather pleased with that. That was a safe answer. That was an answer that didn't really acknowledge anything that hadn't been said and that was safe and good and the best possible way to end this conversation.

He cleared his throat and started to pick up his book. Her hands grabbing his wrist effectively prevented that from happening.

He looked up. She was close. And she was grabbing his hand. They blushed and pulled back at the same time.

Really? What was this? His life might not be so grey, but it wasn't that rose-colored.

"I… Have you done it before?"

He blinked, startled by her redirection of the conversation he had hoped was over. He hid a grimace. Lying was too much work.

"Yes."

She opened her mouth. Then closed it before nodding to herself. "When?"

He winced. "To get the anthologies. And to sell ours at the cultural festival," he mumbled.

She stared at him, wide-eyed and a little bit stunned. "Why?"

He didn't answer. She already knew.

Her expression softened to express something he didn't feel comfortable naming – for both of their sakes. But he couldn't help appreciating the smile on her face; she hadn't smiled at him in days.

There was obviously something wrong with him. Someone. Her. And he was strangely okay with that.

"Oreki-san, I already apologized, but I don't think I can say how sorry I am."

He wanted to interrupt her. He really wanted to. But he didn't.

"I imagined you as someone you weren't. And that someone was less than who you are. I thought… when I found out, I felt like you had disappointed me, and tainted the image of who I wanted you to be. But what I expected of you is less that what you are. Because I could never have…" _imagined a you that would do something like that – expend energy on something like that – just to make me happy._

"I'm sorry too," he said because he couldn't acknowledge what he hadn't heard.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"But…"

"You don't. And I won't even ask you not to do it again. But I want you to know that you don't have to."

"I know." _But I'll probably do it anyway._

Her smile was tinged with emotions he'd never quite seen on her face before. "Good." _Thank you._

And that was the end of that.

 **...**

Mayaka's eyes darted between Chi-chan and Oreki. It was fixed. Everything was fixed.

She watched Chi-chan smile at Oreki as she gesticulated in that expressive way of hers about how excited she was about what she had read in the manuscript. Only Chi-chan's smile wasn't as brilliant and awe-struck as usual. Instead, it was less… well, it was less than that. And a little more. A lot more, actually.

And Oreki was his usual self, all indolence and carelessness. Only his eyes strayed to Chi-chan with more frequency than before. And his eyes avoided her more than before as well.

Mayaka kicked Fuku-chan. He jumped a bit and turned to her because who else could it have been? Chi-chan had Oreki wrapped in her world and he looked as resigned to it as he had always been. (Only there was something else there too.)

"What did you do?" she hissed, low enough that the other two wouldn't hear her, though she was sure she'd Oreki's eyes had flicked in their direction. She bent closer to Fuku-chan, just in case.

"Eh? Me? Nothing!"

She glared.

He grinned sheepishly. "I just told them to talk it out. They had a bit of a misunderstanding is all."

"Really? It's not just something you can't tell me?"

"Well… a little bit of that. But it's nothing serious. They worked it out."

"I can see that. But… there's something else! What happened?"

Fuku-chan grinned impishly. "You noticed too? I tried to ask Houtarou about it but he just said there was nothing to really talk about."

Her eyes narrowed. "That means something else to you than it does to me."

He laughed under his breath. "I just think they're starting to understand each other a bit more than before. And there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

She pouted, suspicious, but unable to figure out exactly what he meant by that. "As long as there's no more trouble."

"There might be trouble. But a whole different kind."

She stared blankly, trying to piece it together. He just grinned.

"Oi."

They both jumped, and turned around.

"What?" Mayaka asked, her tone snarky.

Oreki just looked bored. "It's time to go."

"Already?" Fuku-chan exclaimed, standing up.

Mayaka huffed and stood up. "Come on, Chi-chan, let's walk together."

"Un!"

Chi-chan waved at Oreki and Fuku-chan; Fuku-chan grinned, and Oreki barely managed a response. Mayaka glared at him before smiling at Fuku-chan and all but dragging Chi-chan out of the room.

They had only bee walking a short while when she decided it was safe to ask.

"Chi-chan… what happened?"

She was glad when Chi-chan's eye lit up in understanding; she hadn't wanted to clarify.

"It wasn't anything bad. I just… had a hard time realizing that what I thought wasn't exactly true."

Exceptionally vague, but Mayaka didn't pry.

"And now?"

Chi-chan's smile was too soft, too gentle. Mayaka wondered if she looked like that when she thought about Fuku-chan. She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer to be yes or no.

"Now, I understand things a lot better. It's nice, even if… It's nice."

Mayaka didn't need Chi-chan to expound. Because no matter what she wanted the answer to be, she knew that look because she'd worn it too many times.

"I'll punch him if he hurts you, you know?"

Chi-chan startled. Then she smiled. And then she laughed.

It didn't really mean anything, but it meant everything.

"Thank you, but you don't have to."

"I know."

"I don't think you'll have to."

"I don't think so either."

…

 **And that's the end. A bit ambiguous, but really? What fandom are we in?**

 **T.N.T!**


End file.
